


Visitors

by artfulReda



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Fae Magic, Forests, Gen, Owls, Short One Shot, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27153931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artfulReda/pseuds/artfulReda
Summary: Múcaro, protector witch of the forest, finds trespassers venturing into her realm.
Kudos: 2





	Visitors

An owl flew amongst the trees under the blanket of night. It looked for no rest, it searched for no prey. The owl had purpose. Deep into the forest it dove carrying the message of what it saw.

Perched in her favorite branch on her favorite tree, Múcaro happily enjoyed the warmth of a cup of tea. Her bare feet lazily swinging about. Her violet dress lost in the darkness of night while her eyes glowed golden with the otherworldly power of the fae.

She looked up to see one of her trusty owls, Valentina, in full flight towards her. A wave of her fingers and the owl vanished off the air with a puff. A second wave, like a magician revealing their palm, and the owl appeared once more at her lap.

“Calm down, Valentina, tell me what you saw.” Múcaro said with a curious melodic voice. When the eyes of the owl shared in the glow of her eyes, the woman learned what had transpired.

“Rare to see someone trespass so deep into our forest. We can not allow this, Valentina!” She smiled and rested the cup of tea on the tree branch. “Oh, Valentina, Valentina. What game should we play today?” She stood up and brushed some dust off her dress. A wave of her arms and a hooded cape appeared on her person. “Should we make them dance until their legs fall off? Or make them walk circles for a week? We’re they human, Valentina? We haven’t spoken to humans in a bit. Can it be something fun? Like an orc or a gnome? Maybe we should scare them away and be done with it, but where’s the fun in that?”

Múcaro billowed the cape of her hood and from it half a dozen more owls flew out. Valentina, leader amongst them, led the flock to their query. The witch closed her eyes and concentrated. She could see and sense through any of her many owls, so she placed her effort there by the tree as she monitored the situation.

Through the thick brush ran a woman, auburn hair riddled with dirt and leaves. Green eyes flooded with pain, anger and tears. Her arms frantically pushed forward, desperate. Her face and arms blistered with fresh burns. 

This wasn’t a venture or adventure. Not a search for glory or treasure. 

This woman was not a hunter, she was being hunted.

Her state gave Múcaro pause. She wanted to know more before she fulfilled her duty, casting the trespasser out of the forest she was bound to protect. 

It wasn’t long until the owls found the hunters. Villagers with torches and pitchforks looking to end their work. 

They screamed for a witch. 

They called for her head.

The barefooted protector jumped from her branch, diving into the earth as if it was a pond of water. The chased witch collapsed under her own stress and wounds before she saw her approach.

“You poor, girl. Do you seek solace?” Múcaro looked down upon the unconscious body. “Do the people you protect now hurt you so? Did their greed and stupidity reach your doors?” She locked her gaze in the directions the woman headed from. “Do not worry about them, girl. They will taste the wrath of the forest.”

Hooo.

Hooo.

“Gods! That scared me.” One of the villagers startled at a hooting owl watching him from a tree. “Julian?” He looked to his right where he would have seen his neighbor but there was only darkness. “Julian?! Hey Mark, Julian is go-“ to his left he found Mark, who had just dropped his pitchfork and began to dance a spring jig. His limbs jumped and swayed with enthusiasm as he looked back at his friend with terror, panicked tears streaming from his eyes.

Hooo.

The man looked back at the tree with the owl, it’s eyes glowing golden. When he looked back to his left, Mark was gone. He turned on his heel, terrified, only to find the same tree and the same owl behind him. 

Hooo.

The morning reached the forest and the burned woman woke to find herself in a clearing deep inside the realm. The bushes were ripe with berries and a spring could be heard not far away. There was no sign of who had helped her save from an owl’s feather in her palm. 

A gift from one witch to another.


End file.
